Chapter 267 - Grade 6 District

Chapter 267 Grade 6 District“It’s too late,” Xiao Chen replied bluntly, his eyes glowering coldly. He clenched his fist and snapped the jade note, crushing it into countless shards and splinters.

Wan Gufeng immediately turned berserk, his face filled with hatred and rage, “HOW DARE YOU! YOU FOOLISH PUP! I’LL REMEMBER THIS! I’LL HAVE YOUR SOUL REDUCED INTO BITS THAT YOU’LL NEVER…”

Before he could finish, he vanished.

Xiao Chen crumbled to the ground and fell on his back on top of the soft, fluffy grass. He heaved a long drag of breath, finally at ease. The remaining members of the Order of the Divine Fire, realizing their fate now that their leader had been conquered, quickly fled towards the southwest, looking pathetic and miserable.

“Qingluan,” Xiao Chen muttered softly.

Qingluan immediately understood her master’s wish. With a knowing glance at Ziyun’er, the two girls immediately warped into two bolts of light, one green and the other purple, which streaked into the forest in pursuit of the four remaining members of the Order of the Divine Fire contingent. It did not take long for Xiao Chen to hear their agonizing screams and the sound of steel upon flesh and bone. The two assassins had finished their errand.

Outside the Forest, Wan Gufeng’s body materialized at the conveyance magical formation just behind the Jade Terrace Mountain. There was a crowd there, anxious to have the first look at anyone who was being disqualified, and amongst them was an old man whose face turned ugly when he saw Wan Gufeng.

Most of the people watching Wan Gufeng were hardly surprised, as he was still under the guise of Wan Yanyan. But a cry rang suddenly, and the attention of the crowd immediately shifted back to the scoreboard. The contingent of the Order of the Divine Fire had vanished from the fourth place and was replaced by the name of the Jade Qing Sect. They had leaped six places in one go, having amassed more than two thousand and four hundred Hearts of the Illusory Moon now.

All eyes immediately wandered to the single lone person of Wan Gufeng who immediately looked at the scoreboard with disbelief. Incensed at his efforts being thwarted, he cast a scathing look at Perfected Immortal Qing Chen.

It would have been extremely rude and unseemly for a junior such as Wan Yanyan to look with such hate at a senior member of the magical society, even though he was actually Wan Gufeng in disguise. But no one dared to speak up against him. The mere animosity seeping from him was enough to discourage anyone away. Everyone could see that he was angry at being defeated by the Jade Qing Sect that had robbed his Order of the Divine Fire of all the Hearts of Illusory Moon.

A peal of hushed murmurs rose with excitement from the crowds. Zi Mo was at a side, sniggering to himself at Wan Gufeng’s misfortune.

Wan Gufeng could not take anymore. He tossed his sleeves and walked away, hoping to get away from as many eyes as possible to save himself from any more embarrassment. An old man ran to him, a staff of the Daoist League, “My friend! Why are you out here!? What has happened?!”

“It’s all because of that Xiao Chen!” Wan Gufeng spat venomously through gritted teeth.

“I’ve told you! I’ve warned you against angering him! He’s nothing but bad fortune!” The old man exclaimed with fright.

Wan Gufeng tossed his sleeves again, with grudge and contempt. “They surrounded me! I was alone against all of them! Moreover, the boy is skilled in strange and bizarre forms of magic! Somehow he managed to steal my jade note!”

“Oh my… B-but…” The old man shook his head, sympathetic for his friend’s plight, before he suddenly turned solemn and jittery, “B-but, did they discover your identity?”

“SO WHAT IF THEY DO!” Wan Gufeng growled, on the verge of erupting.

“Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!” The old man lamented and grumbled, “Oh Heavens! What am I to do! I do not want trouble, my friend! Especially if this matter reaches public eye!”

“I don’t care. And you, disqualify him. No matter how, I want to see his name removed!” Wan Gufeng hissed coldly.

“B-but…” The old man muttered anxiously, “I cannot do that! Even the Immortals’ League could do nothing to him! Moreover, the Leader of the Jade Qing Sect is the chief of the contestants from the East…”

“Hmph!” Wan Gufeng snorted, and began to leave. “That is your concern. Just make sure my will is done! Otherwise… You know what!”

Dusk was already upon them for those still inside the Forest of Illusory Moon. Having divided some portions of the freshly-plundered Hearts to other sects, Xiao Chen and his people recuperated in a cavernous cave chamber with the School of the Savage Flames and the Faith of the Lofty Clouds.

Finally being able to rest, they busied themselves with healing their wounds from the fight. When he was done, Qin Xinyan got up and strode over to Xiao Chen. “I believe I owe you a big favor, Brother Xiao.”

Xiao Chen looked up and met his eyes. “It’s nothing,” he replied, “But can you tell me why was the Order of the Divine Fire pursuing you?” It seemed that the Hearts of Illusory Moon was not the only thing Wan Gufeng wanted when they hunted for Qin Xinyan and his teammates.

“That’s because we’ve inadvertently offended them during the test of this Forest of Illusory Moon in the last tournament. The Order has been hungry for revenge ever since, especially since we all know how petty and spiteful they can be…” said a girl from the Faith of the Lofty Clouds.

Xiao Chen merely nodded. “So, I am now their latest addition to their list of enemies. But never mind, the Order is hardly the only enemy thirsty for vengeance.”

“I’d expect that the hunt for the remaining Hearts in the following days to be vicious and brutal. I’m thinking of returning back to the Grade 3 district. What about you, Brother Xiao? You’re thinking of entering the Grade 5 or Grade 6 district?” Qin Xinyan asked suddenly.

“Maybe. I’m still thinking about it,” Xiao Chen replied.

Qin Xinyan studied Xiao Chen with silence. Their levels of strength were almost on par when they were comrades in the excursion to the Wuwang Wind Cloud City. But in a span of merely a few moons, Xiao Chen had reached heights that he could only hope of catching on to. He sighed grimly. “So I think it’s farewell then, Brother Xiao. I’d hope we’ll meet again,” he said and led his people out the cave. But after just a few steps, he stopped and paused, as if there was something he wished to say. But a beat of hesitation passed, he decided against it and continued his way out.

Xiao Chen looked at him quietly, noticing the hesitant look on Qin Xinyan face. He seemed to have something to tell Xiao Chen, but had decided against it, especially realizing that there were many people watching them. Xiao Chen got up and whispered to him, “Is there something you wish to say?”

Qin Xinyan peered cautiously around and led him to an isolated corner. “Remember the time when we were at the Wuwang Wind Cloud City? We…” And he told him his suspicions.

Xiao Chen listened closely. But even he could not help but feel surprised by the news, although he was able to recollect himself quickly. With feigned composure, he said at last, “I see. Thank you very much, Brother Qin.”

Qin Xinyan gave him a curt nod with a knowing look. “Beware, Brother Xiao,” he muttered before he led his people away.

Xiao Chen took a deep breath as he let the news sink in, looking at the final slivers of the faraway sun in the west slowly fading away. To the West would be the Grade 5 and Grade 6 districts where Xiaoyue and the others would be waiting. It was there, where the fighting would be most ferocious and savage, especially in the next two days.

With one night to regain their strength, the contingent of the Jade Qing Sect got up as early as they could even before the sun was up and prepared for their journey into the Grade 5 and Grade 6 districts.

They might have more than two thousand Hearts but there was no place for complacency. Anything could happen in the next two days and the period would be critical for the dominating contingents to widen their lead from the rest trailing behind.

It was a status quo that almost everyone who was still in the race fully understood, because the Forest trial this time was different than before; this time, the average strength of the contestants had never been so strong.

Additionally, in the following days until the end of the trial, a stronger and more feral form of the ordinary Illusory Moon Beast, the Prime Beast of the Illusory Moon, would spawn every hour in Grand 6 district, allowing contestants to reap rich amounts of Hearts of Illusory Moon if they could slay it. The Prime Beasts were mechanics especially designed to create more opportunities and stimulate competitiveness. Teams could wrestle the lead from the current leaders in the race by slaying the Prime Beasts and harvesting the Hearts. But these Prime Beasts only spawn in Grade 6 district; districts which all teams would give anything to avoid. Only this year, everything was completely different.

This year, more and more teams have wandered into the Grade 6 district to actively hunt for the Prime Beasts, causing the Grade 5 district to be almost devoid of any people.

That would also include Xiao Chen and his teammates. By noon, the contingent of the Jade Qing Sect had ventured past the boundaries of the Grade 6 district, officially joining the rest in the final struggle for the win.

Excitement and enthusiasm flared in the faces of both Zhou Li and Qingyu. They would never have dreamt that they could enter the Grade 6 district. The experience was as surreal as a dream to them.

Shimmers of aurora rippled above their heads, backdropping the celestial bodies that all appeared simultaneously in the skies. It was a bizarre and strange sight, to be able to see both the Moon and the Sun together in the same time as the stars twinkling brightly, that everyone could have sworn that they were dreaming.

Xiao Chen looked into the sky, mesmerized by the beauty that opened before his eyes like a huge canvas. Even after thousands of years, he could not believe that such a beautiful place still exists upon the Mortal Realm.

But Yu Yifeng was the only one wearing a troubled frown. “Maintain vigilance! Let’s not be distracted by the sceneries around us. There might be dangers lurking about…”

Qingyu’s sudden yelp cut him off. Her finger was pointing at North-West as she stammered, “Th-there! Th-that’s, that’s a very very large rabbit!”

Everyone looked at the direction of her finger and saw a gigantic white rabbit with the height of an adult man. It was staring back at us curiously through its ruby-red eyes.

“It’s the Prime Beast! Quick! Before anyone else sees it!” Zhou Li yelled and darted forward.

But unbeknownst to him, the Prime Beasts, unlike all other Illusory Moon Beasts which are actual creatures of the Forest of the Illusory Moon, were magical lifeforms artificially created by the alchemists of the Daoist League of the Five Continents to add more content to this trial.

The Prime Beast was hardly unnerved by the sight of a mob rushing at it. It bared its four fangs, snarling savagely and took a swipe at an incoming Zhou Li. Two blades of magic bolts released from its paws and charged at him.

“Zhou Li, watch out!”

Yu Yifeng screamed a warning and quickly recited a spell. The Startling Rainbow Sword streaked from his grasp like a ray of light and crashed with the magical bolts in a loud bang that resulted in an explosion that threw everyone off-balanced.

Students and disciples from ordinary schools or sect would never be able to defeat the Prime Beast. It possessed the powers nearly beyond the Core Forming Realm and it took Xiao Chen and his companions almost half an hour to defeat it and receive 127 Hearts.

Qingyu murmured with shock, “Wow… This big bunny has so many Hearts!”

“This is the reward for the challenge of defeating it. It’s a design of the Elders of the Daoist League for this trial,” Yu Yifeng pointed out, “Anyway, we have to leave now. The aura of the Prime Beast still lingers and it will attract others this way.”

In the final two days of staying in the Grade 6 district, most of the teams would be choosing to settle down in a place where they could defend themselves and scour the vicinity for Prime Beasts as a more secured endgame strategy

They continued wandering around and encountered many other conjurers from other teams on their way. These were all conjurers who had survived the early days of the fight and had made it to here, all through their abilities, endurance, and fortune. Nevertheless, they incited no hostilities, showing that everyone had come to a tacit agreement to keep the truce for as long as possible.

Nevertheless, there were still battles waged for the Prime Beasts. Such was the delicate balance of peace that could easily be tipped at the first sign of personal gain.

Fortunately, with Yu Yifeng leading them all, the Jade Qing Sect team managed to avoid any altercations with other teams, although the badges that denoted them as representatives of the Eastern Continent often invited hungry stares from potential enemies. It was only with Xiao Chen’s display of his ferocity and his immense powers, that many were daunted from trying.

It was few of the things he could do at least, to prevent getting into actual fights with anyone else. They needed to preserve their strength as long as they could for they knew that the fights against the Fallen Immortals Sect and the Divine Mist Sect would be inevitable.

The sun was setting in the evening and the contingent chanced upon a suitable spot to camp. It was a cave, surrounded by lush lands rich with vast deposits of Spiritual Qi. It was the ideal spot for them to recuperate and replenish themselves, and the team would not need to worry about evil beasts and beings intruding into these hallowed grounds. “This shall be the place,” Xiao Chen mused, “the best place for us to prepare for the endgame tomorrow.”

He found a spot in the cave to sit down. Finally, after a long day’s trek, he could rest and meditate. But he had just closed his eyes, when they immediately blinked open, his expression hardened with suspicion.